


Lakeside

by ShakeThatCocktail



Category: Z Nation (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Confessions of love, F/M, Ficlet, First Kiss, Fluff, Season/Series 02, Walks On The Beach, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 05:23:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11639793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShakeThatCocktail/pseuds/ShakeThatCocktail
Summary: 10k's first kiss





	Lakeside

**Author's Note:**

> Uni does shit to you, man, like making you not post in over a year!!
> 
> Setting this around the middle of season 2 (so after Lucy's birth), and at that point we learn the apocalypse has been going on for about 6 years and that 10k is still pretty young, so I'm saying he's around 17/18?? He looked kinda 12ish in the flash back at the end of the season.
> 
> Enjoy and, as always; kudoses, comments and bookmarks are welcome :) xx

_The apoclapyse can't be real..._ The thought always struck 10k when he was by still water, basking in the sun. No groans in the distance, no zombie jams frothing up the water he sat beside. It was almost like the world was right again. His fingers slipped deeper into the warm sand he sat on and 10k's eyes slowly closed in bliss. They had sunny days during the apocalypse, sure, but when hiking for your life they was hard to enjoy. He was so content, so relaxed, 10k didn't even move a muscle as a bead of sweat tickled down his brow, over his cheek, along his jaw, and disappeared down his neck into his t-shirt.

"Hey, look what you found!"

10k opened one eye and turned his head to see Marie stroll out from the bushes behind him, shielding her eyes as she took in the sparkling lake. 10k continued to look as she sauntered forward, boots sinking in the sand, making Marie ultimately lose her balance and collapse in a heap next to him. "Ugh, sand in my boots," she muttered, before removing her boots and shaking them violently. Sand poured out onto her lap and 10k's, and the boy waved his hand back and forth to keep it from getting in his eyes. Throwing her boots to the side, Marie buried her feet into the soft sand, letting out a happy groan that 10k had to turn his face from, cheeks flushing red. "Boots off, 10k," she urged, nudging his shoulder, "thought you would've gone in the water already."

"Don't like the water," 10k replied, drawing his hands from the sand to rest his elbows on his knees.

"You don't?" Marie asked, confused. 10k shook his head. There was an awkward pause.

"My dad used to take me fishing pre-Z. Once, I fell in the water and got stuck in some weeds, started drowning. Dad pulled me out, but I don't go in water anymore, even up to my ankles." He turned his head towards Marie, who was staring at him with an expression he couldn't read. Was it pity? Disbelief? "Being near the water's enough. Makes me feel like that the apocalypse isn't happening." Marie huffed a laugh.

"Ain't that the truth," she murmured. She gathered up her long brunette hair in her hand before tossing it over her shoulder, exposing her neck tattoo to the sun. She hummed in content again, closing her eyes. Underneath the warm caress of the sun, she felt something else, something else burning into her skin. She shifted, hands burying themselves deeper into the sand until the sand was almost cold, but the sensation didn't shift. The golden inside of her eyelids seemed to burn a little brighter. She turned her head to look at 10k, her sight overexposed and everything foggy around the edges, but in her blindess she saw 10k quickly turn his head to fiddle with the straps on his gloves. His pale cheeks, a little more gaunt than they were than she first met him in Cheyenne , were brushed with pink. Marie bit her bottom lip so her smirk wouldn't grow too much. "It's from my friend," she said, and 10k shrugged.

"What is?" he asked, quickly glancing her way before looking back at his gloves.

"The tattoo." Marie shifted herself so she was turned towards to 10k, but the teen didn't move. "My friend, Emma, wanted to be a tattoo artist. She thought they looked so cool. I made her promise that, once she'd completed her training and was certified, I would be the first one she took her gun to."

"You made her promise to kill you? With a tattoo?" 10k asked, in disbelief. Marie could help but laugh at his confused puppy dog eyes.

"No no no, the thing that puts the ink into your skin is called a 'tattoo gun'." Marie's benevolent smile faded at the memory of her friend. "Emma's gone now, mercied her on Day One. One minute you're making pasta with your friend, the next you've shoved a steak knife between her eyes and she's on the kitchen floor." Her fingers traced over the black tribal design just below her ear almost tenderly, 10k's keen eye following every fingertip. He stared at Marie, mouth hanging open, watching her dust the sand off her hands and itch her cheek. He thought he saw a tear, but anything that was there was gone when she lowered her hand. "I'm sorry, that you had to do that," he said, and Marie sniffed.

"We've all done things we needed to do but didn't want to, we both know that," she said, and 10k hung his head in acknowledgement. He was pulled back into the memory of his father, lying in the middle of the road illuminated by car headlights. Pinching the bridge of his slim nose, he shook his head slightly, as if he was a human Etch-a-Sketch trying to clean itself. Marie's hand on his shoulder made him jump. "You ok?" she asked him, and 10k's eyes drifted to the small hand on his shoulder, any remnant of the black nail varnish that had been there when they'd met completely gone.

"Sand in my eye," he lied, and Marie pulled a face.

"Ooh, don't rub them!" She cautioned, and 10k huffed a laugh. Another awkward silence settled between them, the two teens staring out across the water, watching the wind crease the surface. Just beyond the bushes behind them came the sound of laughter. 10k nor Marie could remember the last time they'd heard the team laugh. "Bet the girls would love it when you took them to the lake back where you were. Great makeout spot," Marie commented, flashing him a smile.

"I didn't take girls to a lake," he said, bluntly. "Girls didn't like me."

"Girls didn't like you?" Marie parroted, and 10k shook his head. "Why not?"

"Thought I was weird."

"Why would they think that?"

"I'm kinda tall?" 10k offered, genuinely clueless, and Marie blew a raspberry. 10k leaned back, eyes wide.

"That's bull," she said, "girls love guys who're taller than them. Something kinda romantic about it, I guess."

"Really?" Marie nodded. "Do...you like tall guys?" 10k asked, cautious. He scratched at his cheek closest to Marie, hoping it'd hide the blush he could feel rising in his cheeks. He _needed_ to stop doing that! Marie chewed on her bottom lip, a dark red blooming in her cheeks, and 10k's heart sped up.

"Well, yeah," she answered, shrugging, "I like that whole romantic small-girl-tall-guy thing. Makes me feel protected and weak for a bit, cuz God knows when will I ever have a chance to feel weak for the rest of my life now?"

"I'll protect you," 10k blurted out, clamping his lips shut. Marie giggled, her eyes creasing as she smiled at him. 10k smiled back, all teeth.

"We all protect each other," Marie answered, distractedly brushing sand off the top of her foot.

"No, I mean..." 10k trailed off. At the weight of his hand on her shoulder, Marie turned to look at 10k before his lips were over her's, dry from dehydration and still with inexperience, but soft in pressure. Her heart suddenly stopped and she went rigid, and 10k recoiled from her when she squeaked in surprise. "I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, breathlessly, and he clambered to his feet before darting for the bushes that lead back to camp. His eyes were wild like a rabbit caught in headlights.

"10k!" She called after him, watching him disappear into the foliage. Marie sighed, shoulders sagging dramatically before collapsing back onto the sand. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing, but her heart rate was too fast and her lips could help but stretch up in a smile at the thought of 10k and the buzz that electrified her skin. Straining her ears and deciding the coast was clear, she shimmed off her top, leaving her in a ratty bra she'd pilfered from a town a few month back, to bask in the dying sun.

The sun quickly faded, the oncoming night too chilly for her to be half-naked, so she quickly redressed and pushed back through the bushes. The others had built a fire in the rubble of a dilapidated house that was serving as their camp for the night, chunks of brick creating individual nooks for everyone. Warren and Addy talking on one side whilst Doc rummaged through his bag. Murphy appeared to be asleep in a battered velvet armchair that was somehow weathering the elements. 10k was nowhere in sight.

"Where's 10k?" she asked, and Doc looked up.

"Kid said he was gonna go scouting," he answered. Marie's brow furrowed, but she nodded in aknowledgement.

"Everything ok?" Warren asked, looking up at Marie from beneath her lashes in a way Marie knew meant she knew more than she was going to say. She flashed her a smile.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's good."

"I hope he comes back soon, it's starting to get darker now," Doc mused, looking at the darker sky with apprehension.

10k didn't return until everyone was asleep. Almost everyone. She couldn't move her body, and her breathing was deep, but Marie's mind was wide awake. In her stupor, she heard bricks shifting under weight, the crackle as he set his gun down, and the rustle of branches as 10k pushed his way through the bushes. After a few moments, Marie was able to wake up enough to move her limbs and follow the boy. She tried to be quiet as she followed him, but the bushes were too dense for there to be no noise. She found him standing near the edge of the water, arms hanging at his sides as he looked across the dark landscape. It was a bright night, not a cloud to block the almost-full moon's white rays, highlighting the lightly-defined muscles in his arms and the lenses on the goggles perched on his head. As Marie walked forward, he looked briefly over his shoulder. "Sorry that I woke you," he mumbled when she was close enough.

"I wasn't asleep anyways," she shrugged, the tension in both their bodies almost palpable as they both tried to 'keep cool'. "You were gone a while," she remarked, and it was 10k's turn to shrug.

"Went to make sure there were no zombies," he replied, voice monotonous. He so badly wanted to look at her, but he couldn't. It was too awkward.

"Did you find any?" Marie asked, and he shook his head. The stilted conversation was making the hairs on his arms and neck rise.

"Area's scarily quiet."

Marie nodded, studying 10k's side profile as he continued to look anywhere but at her. Jawline that could cut glass, high cheekbones, hair still artfully tousled in such a coincidental way that it made her envious that she couldn't get hers to look as messy and sexy as his.

"I'm sorry," 10k blurted out, semi-turning towards her, but keeping his head down. Marie raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"What for?" She asked, and 10k kicked at the sand. His discomfort was starting to rub off on her, the hairs on her arms starting to rise.

"Umm kissing you...and then running off too..." 10k offered. He tried to look up, but one glance at Marie's wide green eyes made his eyes drop as fast as boulders in the ocean. Marie tried to suppress her smile but failed. She took a step closer to him, and 10k started to sway back but Marie caught his wrist before he could move away.

"10k, look at me?" She asked, but he shook his head. "Please?" At her plea, he raised his head, looking at her from under hooded eyes. "Close your eyes," she commanded gently, and 10k's brow furrowed. After a moment of hesitation, he closed his eyes and raised his head a little higher. He went completely still when he felt Marie's hand rest on his right cheek, and his eyes flew open at the feeling of soft lips against his. Kissing a girl with his eyes open didn't seem right, so he quickly shut them, before chasing Marie's lips with his as he felt her start to pull away. One of his hands immediately came up to cup her head whilst the other settled on the small of her back. Something in his stomach flipped as Marie leaned into the touch, their bodies touching from their lips to their thighs.

Coaxing him gently, Marie slowly started getting 10k to move, and she shivered in his arms at the swipe of tongue against the seam of her lips. _Fast learner_ she praised in her head. 10k's arms wound around her tighter as the kiss deepened, pulling Marie so close to him she couldn't tell whose heartbeat was whose. She ran her fingers through his hair, finding it surprisingly soft, much to 10k's enjoyment as he groaned low in his chest. Marie's grinned against his lips. She began to pull back slightly and 10k chased after her touch, her taste, brain dizzy, but Marie's hand on the middle of his chest brought him to a halt.

"Breathe, 10k," she advised, and 10k inhaled sharply through his nose before letting it out through his mouth. They were still incredibly close, 10k unable to see any of Marie's features in the dark besides the slight contour of her cheek and her smile in the moon's glow.

"You like me?" He asked, breathless, and Marie huffed a laugh, the hand on 10k's chest sliding up to cup his cheek again. She pushed herself up on tiptoes to match his height, almost so her lips would brush against his.

"Very much," she whispered, 10k's arms flexing around her, and their lips met in the middle.


End file.
